A series of robberies takes a deadly turn in European Mystery: The Face of Envy! You’ve been called out of retirement again by an old friend in Italy. Something very unusual is happening on the streets of Rome... Nobles are being robbed of their jewels in broad daylight and falling dangerously ill afterward. As you begin to investigate, you realize that the case is even stranger than you first thought - the villain takes on the physical traits of his victims right before your eyes! But who is he? And what is his mysterious plan? To find out, you’ll have to explore the sights of Rome and solve challenging puzzles in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won’t find in the standard version. As a bonus, Collector's Edition purchases count toward three stamps on your Monthly Game Club Punch Card!

Customer Reviews

European Mystery: The Face of Envy Collector's Edition
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Need Body Parts!
A strange man is going around town stealing jewelry from the rich but certainly not giving it to the poor! No, he's using the jewelry to steal body parts, eyes, hair and who knows what other plans he has. The town jeweler has invented a box that turns crystals into other useful items, with any light source, since he's now a victim it's all your's to to make much needed trinkets and gate keys. You will find different blueprints that allow you to make copies of different inventory items needed along the way. There are 25 hidden mask collectibles and a cute ermine that you name and he helps you out with those out of reach areas as well. There are lot's of achievements to earn, I earned 3 achievements on the very first HOS I came across! This game has 3 modes of difficulty and one that allows you to customize everything from objectives to sparkles. I really liked the hidden object scenes, which were mostly list finds, some were even completely interactive where all items require an interaction such as finding a walnut and placing the nut into the nutcrackers mouth to crack open the nut and reveal a ring. There are also "find 15 letters" type HOS as well. The mini game I enjoyed the most was a sketch book that you had to build faces to look like the picture of the victims and the suspect. You can choose the hairstyle, the facial shape, the nose, the shape of the lips and even facial hair. This game has a very interesting story, I don't recall any other game with this type of suspenseful story. I enjoyed playing this game and I recommend that you give it a try, enjoy!
February 15, 2014

A One-Man Crime Wave
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Delightful & unusual start to this game. Delightful for its excellent cut scene graphics. Unusual because it starts with a renaissance man preening before a mirror ? hardly stirring stuff? No, but then things go downhill fast!
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Lovely hand painted graphics. Excellent colour palette ranging from bold to subtle, light to dark. Everything clearly lit and wonderfully detailed. The music is awesome, authentic (to my uneducated ears) and melodic. The voiceovers are very good, but there is no lip sync.
WHAT?S HAPPENING?
After your last case in Paris, you gained some notoriety, so it is not long before you hear from another policeman in need of your skills. Off to Rome for another mysterious series of crimes. This time someone is robbing nobles blind ? literally, in one case. Not only does he rob his victims, he also leaves them suffering inexplicable ailments. Your investigation starts with the jeweller who has made all the pieces stolen so far. But you arrive too late to question him... and the masked villain gets away.
GAMEPLAY
This game has an interesting modification to some of its HOPs, which are mostly interactive lists. In the modified ones, every item listed is interactive! That?ll keep you busy! There is also at least one multiples HOP. I barely noticed the puzzles. There are not a lot of them, and those in the demo are easy enough for me to feel comfortable. There is a directional hint, notebook and interactive jump map. You can choose from 3 modes of difficulty plus a custom option, in which you can toggle the indicators for the map, black bar comments, and sparkles, among other things.
Signature feature. Like the first European Mystery, Scent Of Desire, this game has a unique mixing kit. In this case, it is a jewellery creation box. You must find certain ores or gems, collect and charge (with rays of sunlight) powerful crystals, then follow a blueprint to compose the item you wish to create. Actually more fun even than the alchemy box in Scent Of Desire.
Something to note. The inventory bar can be locked by clicking on the lion face in its centre. It had me believing there was no lock for a while.
CE BLING!
There are the sunlight rays mentioned to collect, along with 35 hidden masks, and a collection of journal notes. All 3 have related achievements. There is also an achievement for using a helper. This seems to be a beautiful ermine, but it?s possibly more than one. It?s not clear. There is also the usual gallery items, bonus chapter (set in Dresden), and an in-game Strategy Guide.
COMBINED IMPACT
I had a wonderful time playing this game, and I love the way this series takes us to different cities of Europe. It is reasonably easy, so the expert crowd won?t like it, but for most of us, this is a great way to be entertained.
February 16, 2014

that's what I'm talking about!
now these are the kind of hand drawn sceneries I gotta see over and over.
your gonna love this game. It's better than the first[I think].
It's definitely CE worthy-- nice length, good bonus achievements and 25 masks to collect, but I found 5 in the bonus game so I'm not sure if that means there will be 20 in the se or none at all.
It's got my favorite HOs--- lists[interactive], and find 12 of, good puzzles and mini games.
and the technicals were spot on, no clicking 10 xs to pick it up. the last couple games were tiresome that way.
so if you're a fan of hand drawn artwork you're gonna love this one.
February 16, 2014

Based on trial
Based on the trial version I had enough time & different activities to know I want this game. My time was up before I was ready to stop. It held my attention so I would continue with the search for answers to the mysteries.
The music was very pleasant & not distracting. I usually mute the music, but I quite enjoyed this.
The graphics were superb. Nothing was that difficult to find in the HOGs & had fun interactive things to do. The puzzles were good with enough difficulty to be challenging but, not frustrating.
The map helps you see where there are things to do now & things to do later as you find inventory pieces to use.
The notes were also very helpful as to what just happened and where to go next. I used the notes & the map more than the hints which were very helpful when needed. I did not use the strategy guide. For me it wasn't necessary.
I like the story line as it seems to be different. It is mysterious and made me want to know more. This is a "dark" tale without being a dark atmospheric game.
The voice overs were ok but I read the caption as they speak & not look at the lip movement.
Mystery, murder & intrigue. Who is that masked man? Why is he doing this? What is wrong with him? I must continue on to find the answers.
This was a fun game. I play the trials in casual mode but will play at a higher game level when I get this game.
I recommend this game.
February 15, 2014

Murderer steals jewels and body parts!
It is so great to have another European Mystery to play over the holiday! From the opening scene, you are hooked on the latest villain who steals jewelry from nobles in Rome, then takes something else like their hair or their eyes or even their life! Your friend, Lorenzo Mercuzzo summons you to Rome to use your detective skills to solve these robberies/murders.
You have several tools plus lots to do. First, you must rescue your pet ermine who of course is able to climb and fit into places you cannot. Then you must put together a special crystal cube that lets you collect beams of light that seem to be left behind when a robbery occurs. If you have a blueprint and the correct metals, you can make jewelry like a Maltese Cross or statue that becomes a key to open up gates in the town - pretty neat! You have a teleporting map that marks activity areas, plus a hint button, a journal, and a task list. You don't even need the strategy guide.
The HOS are primarily lists, but each item on the list requires extra steps. There is one that makes you find 15 letters, so there may be more of those as well. The mini-games are interesting and a bit different. They may take you more than one try to solve. You can choose from four modes, including custom.
There are also 25 hidden masks -- I only found one so they must be hidden pretty well! Several achievements but you get rewarded for not using hints even if you did. The CE extras are a bonus chapter, wallpaper, music, art, videos, mini-games and a mask room to view your collection. The graphics are clean and clear and not cluttered.
This game has so much to do, and is better than the previous one - you got to make perfume in that one. Not boring -- lots of action. Try it!
February 15, 2014

All Ye Nobels, Stay off the Streets
I loved the first game in this series, and this one is just as good. This is one of my favorite game developers, not for their larger, more well-known games, but for their lesser known ones. You, the detective, are called to beautiful Roma to investigate a thief who is robbing the rich of their jewels and leaving them incapacitated or worse. The graphics are sharp and vibrant. Muzac is nice. You do get a jump map which you can customize to show where tasks are needed. You also have a journal which is handy. 4 modes of play including custom. I love that feature. The HOS are very interactive. Whereas most games will print interactive items in color on the list, this one lists each item identically so you really don't know which item is an interactive one and which one isn't. The games I came across were fairly simple. You get this very cool gem maker box where, once you find blueprints, can use rays of light to make keys and other items you need. Sadly, you get a ermine helper. I'm not sure if he stays with you the whole game or not. I AM pretty sure he doesn't need to be dressed up. :) It may be because I am very tired, but I found this game difficult. I had to consult the strategy guide during the demo. Oh my !!! The strategy guide included with the game was basic and you could enlarge the photos somewhat. I've never used an in-game strategy guide, always the walk throughs on BFG if needed. I'm hoping there is a walk through soon before I actually play the entire game bc I wasn't very happy with the one provided. I loved the scenery, whatever period it was supposed to be. Things such as that make no difference to me. I highly recommend this great game.
February 15, 2014

Fun, Fun, Fun!!
Great game,bright, colorful, clear and just lots of fun. Not a hard game, just a very lovely way to spend some time!! Visuals are great, no eye strain with this game. Other go into details, just wanted to say it is a very enjoyable game.
February 15, 2014

Fun hidden object game!
I like the part where you take gemstones and create tools that you need in the game! A very relaxing game! I give it 5 stars!
February 16, 2014

Different Themed Game
Excellent hand painted graphics.
Customized playing setup.
Cut scenes stuck to the Story.
Combination of Adventure and HOS with a nice mix of Puzzles.
Excellent, enjoyable game.
February 16, 2014

An other great game
Loved it. Played the demo bought the game. The only thing it is a little slow between the scenes, other than that it is worth it. Nice graphics, good story line.
February 16, 2014